A Venetian Affair by Andrea Di Robilant

and very simple house near the Wynnes and often let them have a room. Setting up a secret encounter was often the work of several days. It took reliable intelligence and good planning. Alvisetto shuttled furtively between the Wynnes’ house and Ca’ Memmo, delivering letters with the latest arrangements or news of an unexpected change of plan. Much was written about the dropping off and picking up of keys.
    The feverish preparatory work, coupled with the constant fear of being caught, made their encounters all the more passionate. “How could they be so stupid,” Giustiniana noted with delight, “not to realize what refinement they bring to our pleasure by imposing all these prohibitions? [At the beginning of our relationship] I was always very happy to see you, of course, but the emotions I feel now, the sheer agitation, the overwhelming feeling of sweetness, were certainly not as intense.”
    As their love deepened and their relationship became more sexual, jealousy too began to creep into their little world. Despite Mrs. Anna’s more relaxed attitude, Giustiniana was still not as free to move around town as Andrea was. This put her at a psychological disadvantage. Who was Andrea seeing when he wasn’t with her? She had his letters, of course, filled with detailed accounts of his daily activities. But how reliable were they? In her relative confinement in the house at Sant’Aponal she had plenty of time to work herself into a state of anxiety. A hint of unpleasant gossip was enough to send her into a rage.
    One of Andrea’s best friends was his cousin Lucrezia Pisani, the young lady he had bumped into on the bridge as he was chasing Giustiniana. She was lively and attractive and popular among Andrea’s set. She often had interesting company at her house, and Andrea liked to drop by. His breezy reports on his visits there, however, made Giustiniana feel excluded. When she heard he was seeing Lucrezia more and more frequently on the days when they could not be together, she protested angrily. Andrea was taken aback by her attitude. Lucrezia was an old friend, he argued, an ally; she was one of the few who knew about their love affair. He reacted to Giustiniana’s indignation with even greater indignation:
    What have I done to you? What sort of creature are you?
What on earth are you thinking? And what doggedness! What
cruelty! So now it would appear that I have been courting
Lucrezia for the past ten days. . . . Well, first of all, the timing is
wrong: she’s been in the countryside for the past several days. I
would have gone with her. I chose not to. Meanwhile, I’ve been at
home most of the time, evenings included. I’ve had lunch with her
once. True, every time I have met her at the theater I have sat in
her box. . . . But could I have sat alone or even with a single friend
throughout an entire show? . . . I am mad to even defend myself.
Yes, I like her company and I admit it. First of all because she is
one of the easiest women to be around. . . . She is also witty,
knowledgeable, clever. You can talk to her freely, and she often
has good company. . . . Besides, she is your friend, she often asks
about you with interest. . . . You are crazy, crazy, crazy. You will
drive me mad with your endless suspicions. Still, I guess I must
try to appease you in any case. So rest assured: I won’t be seen
with her anymore. But where may I go? Anywhere I went there
would be new gossip and new scenes. . . . By God, I will have to
lock myself up in my room, under permanent surveillance, otherwise you still won’t believe me. But of course when no one sees me
around people will start thinking that I’m enjoying myself even
more secretively. What a life.
    Giustiniana’s suspicions, however, were not entirely unjustified: there was talk around town that Lucrezia did indeed have a liking for Andrea that went beyond their old friendship. When Giustiniana’s mood did not improve, Andrea realized he would have to do something